Bilbo Baggins, a respectable and unadventurous hobbit, is paid a
visit by Gandalf, a wizard, who offers him the chance to go on an
adventure. Bilbo, in trying to get rid of the wizard, inadvertently
invites him to tea the next evening. The next day, Bilbo is flustered
to find that in addition to Gandalf, he seems to have invited
thirteen dwarves to tea as well. As he serves the dwarves and
Gandalf tea and then supper, Bilbo learns that Gandalf has
advertised him to the dwarves as a burglar. The dwarves wish him
to help them on their quest to the Lonely Mountain, where they
hope to recover treasure from Smaug the dragon, who destroyed
their ancestral home under the mountain. Though at first Bilbo
quakes at the suggestion of meeting a dragon, he is challenged
upon hearing the dwarves' disparaging his courage and abilities.
Stung by their remarks, Bilbo throws himself into the adventure
with uncharacteristic boldness and determination.

The adventures quickly begin; the dwarves and Bilbo are caught by
three trolls, who put them into sacks. They are saved by Gandalf,
who sets the trolls squabbling amongst themselves until daybreak,
when they are all turned to stone. Once set free, the dwarves find
the trolls' cave, where they discover food, gold, and weapons. Soon
after, they have a short rest at Rivendell, home to Elrond, an elf-
lord, and his people. Refreshed and restored, the company sets off
once again.

As they venture into the Misty Mountains, they are caught in a tremendous
storm and take shelter in a cave, along with their ponies. While resting
in the cave, all but Gandalf are captured by goblins. Gandalf again saves
them, but as they are fleeing in the dark, underground tunnels, Bilbo
bumps his head and is separated from the party. As Bilbo wanders about,
scared and nervous, he finds and pockets a small silver ring. A little
later he comes to a lake. There he meets a strange creature, Gollum, the
previous owner of the ring, who challenges him to a riddle game. Gollum
figures out that Bilbo has the ring and tries to attack Bilbo, at which
point Bilbo discovers that the ring makes its wearer invisible. With the
help of the ring, he escapes from the tunnels and is reunited with his
companions, who are surprised to find him alive.

Your browser does not support the IFRAME tag.

Soon after their reunion, they are caught and treed by Wargs, evil wolves
who are allies of the goblins. Gandalf tries to rescue them by throwing
burning pinecones at them, but the goblins soon arrive and set fire to
the trees. At the last minute, they are rescued by a flock of eagles,
which carry them to a safe spot. The next day, the eagles carry them a
little further along on their journey to a spot in the wilderness. In
need of rest and provisions, the group seeks shelter with Beorn, a man-bear
who can take on either form.

After spending a couple of days with Beorn, the company moves
on to the outskirts of Mirkwood, where Gandalf leaves them. The
dwarves and Bilbo have been warned repeatedly by Beorn and
Gandalf to stick to the path, but once their provisions begin
dwindling and the gloom of the forest becomes too oppressive,
they fail to heed the warnings they have heard. They stray off the
path, lured by the sight of lights and the sounds of elfish
merrymaking.

Lost in Mirkwood, the dwarves and Bilbo are captured by giant spiders.
It is only Bilbo's luck and courage and the advantage of the ring's power
that helps them to escape. At this point, they are then horror-struck
to find that Thorin Oakenshield, the chief dwarf, is missing. Soon, all
the other dwarves are captured by the elves, who already have Thorin in
their dungeons. Bilbo, however, slips on the ring and escapes. On his
own, he devises a plan to set his friends free and manages to do so by
hiding them in empty barrels and floating them downstream to Lake-town,
near their final destination. The dwarves and Bilbo, battered and weary,
are given a hero's welcome by the inhabitants of Lake-town, who see them
as the ones who will rescue them from Smaug.

Once again given ponies and provisions, the dwarves and Bilbo set out
for the Lonely Mountain. After many days of searching, they find the secret
entrance to the mountain. The dwarves expect Bilbo to go into the mountain
and steal the treasure from Smaug. Bilbo overcomes his fear and ventures
inside. When he spies Smaug, he steals a cup from the dragon's horde as
he sleeps. The dragon wakes up and, enraged to find that someone has stolen
something from him, flies around the mountain looking for the dwarves,
who hide in the tunnel that leads to the secret entrance. Having had a
narrow escape, Bilbo ventures into Smaug's chamber again. There he talks
to Smaug and discovers a weak spot in the iron-scale armor on Smaug's
breast. The furious Smaug tries to catch the dwarves and Bilbo, but, unable
to achieve his purpose, vents his fury on Lake-town and its dwellers.
Smaug nearly destroys the city, but Bard, a brave archer, kills him with
the help of a thrush, who tells him of Smaug's weak spot.

With the death of Smaug, the whole story changes. Men and elves join
forces and march toward the mountain, hoping to claim a part of the treasure.
Meanwhile, the dwarves, led by Thorin, have reclaimed their ancestral
home. Unfortunately, the vast treasure, which Smaug had accumulated, has
a detrimental effect on Thorin and the other dwarves, and they become
bewitched by a greed for gold. A party, led by Bard, demands a portion
of the treasure in payment for the hospitality they offered the dwarves
and the losses they suffered from Smaug. Thorin refuses to consider their
claim; instead, he sends for help to his cousin Dain and prepares for
war.

The elves and the men besiege the Lonely Mountain, and Thorin, the dwarves,
and Bilbo are caught inside. Bilbo attempts to break the stalemate by
taking the Arkenstone, the most precious stone in the horde and Thorin's
most cherished family heirloom, to use as a bargaining counter. When Thorin
discovers Bilbo's deception, he is furious and sends him off with harsh
words. Even Gandalf, who reappears, cannot reason with Thorin. Dain soon
arrives with a large force of dwarves, and it seems as though war will
break out. Just as the first arrows are launched, however, the goblins
and wolves arrive, and the elves, men, and dwarves join to fight them
in the Battle of Five Armies.

Both sides suffer tremendous losses, and it is only with the arrival
of the eagles and Beorn that victory is assured for the forces of good.
Thorin is grievously injured, and just before he dies, he extends his
friendship once again to Bilbo. The treasure is distributed, and Bard
sets out to rebuild Dale, where his ancestors lived before it was destroyed
by Smaug.

Finally, Bilbo sets out for home with Gandalf, having accepted only
a small fraction of the treasure offered to him. They take the longer
route home around Mirkwood and spend the winter with Beorn and the elves
of Rivendell. Bilbo arrives home just in time to prevent his home and
property from being auctioned off. He settles down to living a calm and
unadventurous life once again, though he is marked forever afterward as
strange and not quite respectable by his neighbors. A few years later,
Gandalf and Balin, one of the dwarves, visit Bilbo and tell him about
the great prosperity that has come to the lands around the Lonely Mountain.